Therapeutic shoe



Nov. 27, 1928. 1,693,398

c. MILLER ET AL THERAPEUTI C SHOE Filed July 7' 1927 INVENTO'R BY Mft@ Mgg@ Patented Nov. 27, 1928.

UNITED STATES CHARLES MILLER, 0F LONG ISLAND CITY, AND MAX FEINSTEIN, 0F CORONA, NEW YORK; SAID FEINSTEIN ASSIGNOR TO SAID MILLER.

THERAPEUTIC SHOE.

Application led July 7,

This invention relates broadly to the shoe art and deals more specifically with a therapeutic shoe or slipper.

It is an object of this invention to provide a shoe which will conform correctly to the contour of the tread surface of the foot of the wearer.

Further it is an object of this invention to provide a shoe which is provided with supports for special parts of the wearers foot, and which is also provided with increased space for other special portions of thev wearers foot.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a shoe which insures proper circulation of the. blood in the Wearers foot.

And it is a further object of this invention to provide a shoe which checks perspiration of the wearers foot.

Finally it is an obj ect of this invention generally to improve the structure of a shoe or slipper.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig.' l is a fragmentar longitudinal secjtional view of a shoe embo ying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, `10 designates a shoe or slipper which may be of the well known welt, turn, stitchdown, or any other type. For the purposes of this disclosure we have shown the invention applied to a welt shoe, but the same applies also to the other aforementioned types. The shoe l() is seen to comprise an upper 11, provided with the usual lining l2 and box toe 13. The upper of the shoe may be of any of the standard structures and the same forms no part of the present invention. An outersole 14 is attached to the welt 15. An innersole 16 is joined to the upper andthe filler material 17 is placed between the inner and outer sole in the well known manner.

We have found that in ladies slippers and shoes with the present styles the forward portion of the wearers foot is crowded into a 1927. Serial No. 203,903,

too small space to permit normal' and proper circulation of the blood to all parts of the foot. In order to remed this defect, we provide the concavity E w ich is positioned at the portion of the shoe where the big toe of the wearers foot normally lies. There is thus assured an increase in space for the toes of the wearer without increasing the width 0f the shoe. The curvature of this concavity extends sidewise and forward to the upper of the shoe. .To the rear this curvature is more gradual, rising finally to the crest A at the metatarsal arch.

In order to properly support the foot at the metatarsal arch, we provide the concavities B and C which together with the crest A form an arch support for the metatarsal joint, which support has a gradual and normal curvature tok accommodate the contour of the Wearers foot. Not only is there provided increased space for the wearers foot in a shoe of a given size, but also the ybottom of the shoe conforms to the contour of the wearers foot, thus providing support for portions of the foot which are arched. Also,

-when the wearers foot is in motion as in walking or dancing, for example, the portion of the sole extending from the crest A to the concavity E contacts intimately with the wearers foot and as the sole of the shoe bends this portion thereof performs a massaging operation upon the foot, thus enhancing the circulation of the blood in the foot.

The curvature in the innersole may be obtained by molding the same prior to its incorporation in the shoe and subsequently filling the resulting curvature at the bottom to provide a uniform flat surface' for contact with the outsole or alternatively the desired curvature may be had by forming the shoe on a last such as is disclosed in our copending application, Serial No. 17 2,237, filed March 3, 1927.

Having thus described our invention we desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A shoe having an innersole, said innersole being provided with a concavity extendin longitudinally thereof from a point at t-he ba l line to the toe portion thereof.

2. A shoe having an innersole, said'innersole being provided with a concavity extending forwardly longitudinally thereof from a point adj aoent to the ball line and extending transversely of said innersole from one side 5 of the toe portion to the other side thereof.

3. Aslioehaving? an inner-sole',l said innersole beingprovided with a transversely-con- Vex curve at the ballline, adapted to support the metatarsal arch of the foot of the wearer, and a conca'vity extending forwardly from said curve tothe toe portion of said innersole. CHARLES MILLER.

MA-X FEINSTEI-N. 

